SAM Office Hours Q&A March 2026 | EMEA/APAC Session

Kieron Dean
ServiceNow Employee

2 hours ago

About This Document

SAM Office Hours is a monthly live Q&A session where ServiceNow customers can ask questions about Software Asset Management directly to product experts.

  • Session date: March 03, 2026
  • Questions: 40 total (23 written, 13 extracted from recording, 4 unanswered)
  • Answers marked as "Extracted from Recording" were processed using AI transcription and extraction
  • While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, extracted answers may contain inaccuracies or miss nuances from the original spoken response

 

Questions & Answers:

#

Question

Answer

Source

1

We are unable to create reclamation rules for User Subscription license types. Could you confirm whether SAM Pro intentionally restricts reclamation for subscription-based licenses

Reclamation rules for SaaS subscripptions are managed via the integration profiles. SAM Pro does not allow to create them manually. When you e.g. integrate with Microsoft 365 a reclamation rule will be created automatically. You can still adjust the deatils but not create new ones.

Written

2

We have several new Microsoft Exchange Server installs that are flagging as unlicensed with the reason Unsupported Cloud Installs. These are then ignored. What is the rationale behind this, please?

Currently we support BYOL for few products such as SQL server, Windows server etc.. Exchange server unfortunately is not supported……However we have this in our roadmap…..the reason is that the licensing rules for each and every product on different cloud provider is different. To understand the support for BYOL….https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/yokohama/it-asset-management/now-assist-for-software-asset-managem...

Written

3

why cannot i create it manually..?

 

Unanswered

4

because all the products are not covered in the rule which created by default

 

Unanswered

5

Adobe/Salesforce Reclamation: Why does the reclamation process fail or remain "Pending" even after the CSD (Client Software Distribution) plugin is active and the integration profile shows successful discovery?

if the Adobe SW is installed on the device, yes CSD should work. but for SalesForce, CSD won’t work as it is SaaS

Written

6

Does Microsoft 365 integration brings the Entitlements details?

yes it does | just check samp_purchased_subscription_details table | It will bring in the subscription details - but not financial information that may be related to your entitlement.  This still needs to be entered as a corresponding entitlement.

Written

7

While configuring reclamation rules in ServiceNow, we are required to specify an Assignment Group so that if reclamation fails the system can generate a manual task for that group. My question is: How does ServiceNow know whether reclamation for a specific product should be handled automatically or manually in the first place? Is there a specific table or configuration in ServiceNow that indicates whether a given product’s reclamation process is automated or requires manual intervention? Where does this intelligence come from?

If it is going through SaaS or CSD it knows it (if configured properly), but there will always be exceptions (not managed through these solutions) where ServiceNow does not know how to remove the software and therefor a manual task can be created. Alternatively, the logic in the flow can be amended to support specific use cases.

Written

8

We have observed for Salesforce CRM the external client app when need to leverage client credential flow needs a Run as user in Salesforce app which would need a API or Salesforce license. - As this has a license implication for each Salesforce instance we integrate, what is the best way to approach.

I believe you can use a “integration user” which is a Salesforce dedicated integration user licence type,  Depending on your Salesforce licensing, the integration user licenses may be free for your organisation, or significantly cheaper than a full Salesforce license.

Written

9

so by saas integrations we cannot reclaim/remove the user from servicenow sam pro...?

 

Unanswered

10

Reclamation rules will work properly with SAM Pro subscription or works without SAM Pro as well ?

Yes, reclamation rules work with SAM Pro subscriptions. The reclamation functionality identifies candidates based on criteria you define (like no usage in X days, user left company, etc.) and can initiate the reclamation workflow. For SaaS subscriptions, this can include automated deprovisioning if the integration has write access to the provider.

Extracted from Recording

11

When we reclaim a license through SAM for an okta App, please can you let me know the Process diagram for this type of reclamation?

When you reclaim a license through SAM for an Okta app, the process typically works as follows: SAM identifies the reclamation candidate, generates a reclamation task, and if automated deprovisioning is configured, it can remove the user's assignment in Okta. The user would lose access to the application. Check your reclamation workflow configuration to see what actions are taken on reclamation approval.

Extracted from Recording

12

Salesforce has 2 Marketing Cloud a) Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement(formerly ExactTarget) and b) Salesforce Marketing Cloud Growth(New Marketing Cloud part of the Core Salesforce Instance) ServiceNow docs has steps for the old Marketing cloud, do we support the new Marketing cloud too? Is there different configuration to establish the integration ? Any ServiceNow doc you can refer beyond the default Salesforce Marketing cloud configuration one.

For Salesforce Marketing Cloud, we support the integration. There are different Marketing Cloud products - Salesforce Marketing Cloud (formerly ExactTarget) and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly Pardot). Check the ServiceNow documentation for your specific version to see the current supported integrations and any differences in configuration steps.

Extracted from Recording

13

We r doing a POC for Grammarly, will clicking on the ‘Reclaim All’

For your Grammarly POC, clicking 'Reclaim All' will initiate reclamation for all identified candidates for that product. In a POC, I'd recommend testing with individual reclamations first to understand the workflow and ensure it's working as expected before doing bulk reclamation. Verify that the reclamation properly removes access and that the process aligns with your business requirements.

Extracted from Recording

14

From the samp_purchased_subscription_details table, is there a way to identified Microsoft Reservations?

not right now….we are working to integrate for licensing reservations….this is a seperate portal VLSC which currently offers no APIs…but good news is that Micosoft is planning to shift reservation to M365 and should have APIs available

Written

15

Is there a list of licenses/publishers that works with license reclamation?

For a list of which licenses/publishers support license reclamation, check the SaaS integration documentation. Currently, reclamation is supported for integrations that have write-back capability, including Microsoft 365, Adobe, Salesforce, and others. The key requirement is that the integration needs write permissions to modify user assignments in the source system.

Extracted from Recording

16

Can we run configure Normalisation without enabling the 'Reference qualifiers on all tables that reference Company will be updated to use the Normalized field.' property ----> this is the only way we have been able to preserve the companies that have been mapped with our business application records, is there another way to preserve this data?

Yes, you can run normalization without enabling the 'Reference' features. Normalization (matching software installs to discovery models) is a core SAM Pro function that works independently. The reference data features are optional enhancements. Configure your normalization rules and run the normalization jobs without needing to enable reference data if you don't want to use that feature.

Extracted from Recording

17

We are currently working on ABM integration, we were successfully able to generate a OAuth token but we are facing issue with rate limiting. what is the best practice that can be done to overcome the issue?

Some customers have looked at scheduling the different workflows that use the API calls (e.g. discovery subscriptions at one time, and then usage at a different 24 hour interval).  Others may need workflow configuration to handle a backoff retry logic.

Written

18

We are working Mid less agent collector, I am able to see host hardware data got collected, But unable to get the software installations from it?

This can be related to a lot of different things, but do you run it as the ‘ServiceNow’ user or local system? I suggest running it as Local System and try again.

Written

19

so what is the best practice to make the reclamation candidates created for the saas integration applications? is it by installed software or subscription software..?

for saas reclamation rules are created alll you need to do is modify it….

Written

20

This can be related to a lot of different things, but do you run it as the ‘ServiceNow’ user or local system? I suggest running it as Local System and try again  Replay: Yes we are using Local System

I advise to check the logs and also the payload. If it does not make sense I suggest creating a ticket for support to troubleshoot.

Written

21

but for adobe only creative cloud is created... document and experience cloud should also be created... or can you please tell me what are the products are applied for creative cloud rule?

For Adobe, if you're only seeing Creative Cloud and not Document Cloud or Experience Cloud, check your Adobe integration configuration. The integration may need additional permissions or configuration to pull in all product families. Also verify what products are actually assigned in your Adobe Admin Console - if Document Cloud isn't provisioned there, it won't appear in ServiceNow.

Extracted from Recording

22

For SaaS products, does SAM consider assigned users or active users as license consumption? If a user is assigned but inactive, is it still counted as consumed?

For SaaS products, SAM considers assigned users as consuming licenses, regardless of whether they've actually logged in or used the product. License consumption is typically based on assignment/provisioning rather than actual usage. If you want to identify users who are assigned but not using the product, you'll need usage data from the SaaS provider (where available) to compare against assignments.

Extracted from Recording

23

We are working on auto allocations for softwares what is the best practice of doing it? currently we have LDAP groups so working on some process layer to import group from LDAP and create group allocations. Please provide if you have any best practice around this.

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/it-asset-management/now-assist-for-software-asset-management-sam/c... yes we support

Written

24

Would the installed/usage data from Flexera work with Reclamation?

OOTB usage data will not be transfered from Flexera to ServiceNow. You can work on an integration and you need to make sure that the usage data (from Flexera) is mapped correctly to the ServiceNow usage table.   There is a separate job that will automatically create Reclamation Candidates based on the Software Usage table, so the source is not that relevant but the data needs to be complete and in the right format.

Written

25

We have just installed SAM Pro and integrated with Okta using the SAAS plugin, we have been able to connect, created the software model for grammarly (as it was not available) published the software entitlement and reconciled, we are able to see the card for Grammarly please can you let me know how to interpret the results of reconcilliation.

It should show all the users that have pontential access to the solution and they are consuming the entitlement (or ‘required subscriptions’)

Written

26

Is there any future enhancement for getting unallocated users when using group allocation feature?

For getting unallocated users with user-based licensing, there isn't currently an out-of-box feature to show all users without any allocations. However, you can create a report or script that compares your user base against allocation records to identify users with no software allocations. This is a good idea for the Ideas portal if it would be useful for your organization.

Extracted from Recording

27

For Microsoft Visual Studio, is there a way to get the license usage integrated with SAM Pro? So far, a manual export/import process to applied.

yes correct we are looking at ways to integrate currently no API support from Visual studio

Written

28

Content library question. We have lots of information coming through for products that are not correct. E.g. SQL Server Integration Services (free) which I do not think this is a real product, also Java Development Kit Free showing as SE (Subscription edition) What improvements are in place to improve the content library and how long does it take to make a correction and for it to flow to the customers?

For Content Library questions about lots of information in the content lookup that doesn't match your environment, remember that the Content Library contains data for many software products across all customers. You only need to focus on the content relevant to your software. Use filtering in the content lookup to find what's relevant to your environment. You can also submit feedback to the content team about specific mapping issues you find.

Extracted from Recording

29

I am looking at the SAAS overview on my Workspace, I am unable to filter the results for Grammarly

Ok, but do you see the results in the License Usage overview? I am not completely sure, but it might be that the SaaS overview will only show data for the direct integrations.

Written

30

We are facing issue with Edition in SQL Server during reconciliation, what should we do for it?

Often, it depends on the tool used for providing the isntall Software. ServiceNow Discovery is the recommended inventory tool

Written

31

What exact activity determines Last Activity for each publisher (Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce)? Is it login, feature usage, application launch, or background token refresh?

The Last Activity date for SaaS subscriptions is typically determined by the SaaS provider's API and what activity data they expose. For Microsoft 365, this could be last sign-in or last activity within the app. For other providers, it varies. Check the specific SaaS integration documentation to understand what activity triggers the last activity timestamp for that provider.

Extracted from Recording

32

Please can you let know if Kenney’s answer to my ‘Normalisation’ question will be published on the community.

yes it will be part of the archive from this session

Written

33

Where can I see the license usage overview Kenny?

The second icon on the left of the Workspace, basically the reconciliation results for all products.

Written

34

Is the below article still valid? https://www.servicenow.com/community/sam-blog/glas-data-collection-amp-oracle-options-amp-management... especially the Oracle GLAS v2 mentioned?

For older Community articles, always cross-reference with the official product documentation for your current release. Community content can become outdated as the product evolves. Check docs.servicenow.com for your version to see current guidance. If specific functionality has changed, the product docs will have the accurate information.

Extracted from Recording

35

I am able to see the metrics for Grammarly there, is that the only metrics we can get for SAAS products Kenny? Thanks!

You should be able to drill down to the Software Model results there and see the list of users that should consume an entitlement, or they already consume an entitlement when you have entered it.

Written

36

What inactivity threshold is recommended by ServiceNow before reclaiming a license (30/60/90 days), and does SAM have publisher-specific best practices?

no it depends on the customer

Written

37

Is license auto provisioning possible with Adobe CC integration (meaning you have SSO integration configured and you want to have a user assigned a subscription on the Adobe portal after adding the user to an SSO group)?

natalia i can connect with you but do u use AD/Entra ID integration for Adobe? | pls do share your email id

Written

38

One more Q regarding reclaim subscription, again for Okta SSO apps 🙂  The doc that was ent says: remove the user from the group in the Okta Developer Console and then set the reclamation candidate state to Close Complete.  but will that reduce our license usage of the app

Access is then granted through SSO, so it will free up a license

Written

39

As in, if the user had to be configured in the App console, how will that affect licese usage?

Regarding users configured in the App console and license usage - if a user must be configured in the app console (like Adobe Admin Console) to have access, they will typically count as consuming a license regardless of whether they've actually used the product. License consumption is usually based on assignment/provisioning rather than actual usage, unless you have usage-based licensing configured.

Extracted from Recording

40

For Adobe Reader and Acrobat, both of them uses same exe how do we know which one the product refers to for software usage as one of them is free and other is licensed?

 

Unanswered

 

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